


in your eyes, the sun itself

by xinyu93



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bounty hunter!Wooyoung, Demon!Mingi, Demons, Elf!Yeosang, M/M, Mage!Jongho, Mage!San, Mage!Seonghwa, Magic, Non-Graphic Violence, Prince!Hongjoong, Romance, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Swordsman!San, Worldbuilding, Yunho's just vibing, also
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22154701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xinyu93/pseuds/xinyu93
Summary: A demon is the best ally you can have on your side when you’re on a mission to break into the highest security prison in the country, especially when the demon’s enslaved in exchange for a chunk of your lifespan and capable of destroying entire countries with ease. Too bad San’s abilities as a summoner are shaky at best, and Mingi is probably the least demon-like demon San could have summoned around.
Relationships: Choi San & Song Mingi, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, prb will be more
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	in your eyes, the sun itself

**Author's Note:**

> stream answer

Mingi sits perched on the roof of the training hall as San practices on the grass, his muscles burning from the strain of the familiar katas. His grip on his sword is sweaty so he pauses for a moment to wipe his palms against his pants, grimacing. 

“You’ve been practicing for 6 hours,” Mingi calls out, and San turns to look at him, at his silhouette outlined against the horizon and the sun catching in his red hair like flame. “You even missed dinner. Aren’t you tired?”

San laughs and resumes the set, lunging low and sweeping his sword in front of him so it’s blade sheers off a half crescent of grass. “Yeah, I’m tired. But it’s not enough. I have to get stronger.” Strong enough to save Seonghwa-hyung, he thinks but doesn’t say. Strong enough that something like that doesn’t happen ever again. 

“I think you’re already pretty strong,” Mingi remarks, stepping casually off the roof and landing in a crouch beside San. 

“I’m about as strong as a fly compared to you,” San points out. Eyebrows scrunched in focus, he twists fluidly into the next set of movements. 

“But almost everyone one is, you know.” Mingi grins, too joyful of an expression to belong to something like him, all slightly crooked teeth and crescent eyes. “You’re only a human, you shouldn’t compare yourself to me.” 

“Thanks,” San replies drily. But even so, the hours of practice finally catch up with him, and he flops down onto the trodden grass, every one of his muscles burning in complaint. He sighs as Mingi sits down cross-legged next him, and says, “I’m never going to be good enough, am I. It seems like everyone’s getting stronger and I’m stuck playing catch-up all the time. And even though I’m supposed to be a mage, the only thing I’m good at is using this stupid sword.” He waves the blade in the air for emphasis, staring up at the sunset-streaked sky. Not for the first time, he wishes Seonghwa-hyung was here; he always seemed to know what to do. 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, San,” Mingi advises, reaching out to squish San’s cheeks together. Hard. San scowls and tries to wiggle free, but Mingi’s grip is too firm. “You’re doing your best, aren’t you? And besides-“ Mingi smiles in a self-satisfied sort of way- “you summoned me. No ordinary person could’ve done that.” 

San sits up abruptly, breaking out of Mingi’s hold, and flicks Mingi on the forehead, ignoring his yelp of surprise. “Yeah, yeah, with the mighty Song Mingi on my side, what do I have to fear? Except I can’t even supply enough magic for you to use your powers for more than ten minutes every day.”

“You’ll get better,” Mingi says decisively, the same way someone else might say the sky is blue or the sun would rise the next day. Like he feels it is undeniably true. It warms San’s heart, and he wonders again how someone as trusting and gentle as Song Mingi could be the son of the goddess of fire and the mortal emperor of the world long ago, a demigod capable of slaughtering thousands and destroying mountains with ease. And, if the ancient legends are true, someone who had done those things and more. The mark on San’s right arm, covered by tightly wrapped bandages, seems to grow warmer, and almost unconsciously, he places a hand on it, his fingers curling around his bicep. Mingi catches the movement and glances down at his own mark, a pretty, intricate thing burned onto the skin of his right hand. It is what binds them together, summoner and summoned, master and servant, what drew Mingi from eons long ago into the present day in exchange for the petty price of five years of San’s lifespan. 

“I’m glad you’re not a demon, even though I wanted one in the beginning, Mingi,” San says suddenly, truthfully. 

“Well, of course you are,” Mingi answers. “I’m way stronger than any puny little demon.”

San smiles at that. “You know a demon could kill me in two seconds if it wanted to, I wouldn’t even have time to blink.”

“I guess you’re even punier then,” says Mingi. His eyes curve into crescents again. “That means I have to protect you even better then, right? If I was around, the demon wouldn’t even have time to blink so you wouldn’t have to worry.”

“Thanks, Mingi, I appreciate it.” He means to sound sarcastic, but it comes out fonder than he’d wanted it to. Mingi prods him on the arm by way of answer, but San gets it. He’s only been with Mingi for about a month, but it feels like he’s known for a lifetime, better than he even knows himself. Maybe it’s from the bond, but San isn’t entirely sure. 

Without warning, Mingi disappears from sight, blinking out of vision like he’d never been there at all. San turns and, a moment later, sees Jongho running towards him, waving frantically. He looks panicked. 

Immediately, San stands, jogging towards the other boy. “What happened?” he demands. “Is something wrong?”

Jongho pauses for a moment to catch his breath, then looks up at San and says shakily, “It’s Seonghwa-hyung. They... they announced his execution date. It’s happening in two weeks.”

“Two weeks!” It’s too soon. He won’t be ready by then, he can’t- but no, he has no choice now. He’ll have to be ready, or Seonghwa-hyung will die. He knows that. 

“Hyung, what’re we going to do?” Jongho asks. Jongho’s so mature that San forgets that he’s younger than him, sometimes; barely 18, still only a kid really. But in this moment, he’s never seen him look so young, his eyes wide and his lips pressed together in a wobbly line. 

“Listen, Jongho,” San says. He takes a deep breath and feels Mingi’s invisible grip on his shoulder, steadying him like an anchor. He’d told Mingi to hide himself whenever he sensed someone nearby, but San trusts Jongho. And he can’t do this alone. “I have to tell you something, okay? Just don’t freak out, I promise it’s not as bad as it seems.”

//

“Hyung, what the hell,” Jongho says. The man-demon-not demon beside San smiles at him, the expression made unnerving by his hair and eyes, both of which are the colour of the blood in a living man’s veins. “Hyung, what the hell were you thinking?”

San rubs the back of his neck sheepishly while the not demon continues to beam. “Well, I was desperate, you know? And Seonghwa-hyung had that book with the spell in it and I... I thought it was a good idea at the time, I guess.”

“A good idea?” Jungho explodes. “You couldn’t even summon just a regular old demon, you summoned Song Mingi! He’s a monster, everyone knows the stories about him! How did you know he wouldn’t break free of the bond and kill you as soon as you summoned him.”

“Um, I guess I didn’t,” San says at the same time the not-demon protests, “I wouldn’t do that to San.” Jungho levels a glare at both of them, resisting the urge to bang his head against the training building in frustration. 

“I know you’re worried about Seonghwa-hyung,” Jongho begins, not missing the way San stiffens at the mention of Seonghwa, “but this is stupid. Even for you. At least... at least you should’ve told me about it before you did it.” And there it is; the smallest spring bud of hurt at being left in the dark, that after all this time they still wouldn’t tell him everything because he was younger, weaker, more likely to be a liability in danger. “I can’t believe you kept this from me all the time. I could’ve helped.”

“Sorry.” San looks away guiltily. “I didn’t mean to, but I wasn’t sure if it would work out. And then afterwards, I just thought it would be better to wait until I got better at controlling the bond before I told anyone.”

Jongho crosses his arms and sighs pointedly. “Well at least you told me now.”

“So you’re not mad?” San asks cautiously. “You’re not going to report me?”

“Of course I’m not going to report you, stupid,” Jongho retorts. “And I’m not mad either, I just wish you’d told me sooner. How do you want me to help? Do you have a plan?”

San exchanges a glance with the not-demon. He looks abashed. “I didn’t really think that much about it yet... I thought we’d have more time to be honest.”

“What is it?” San asks.

Mon, Jan. 21, 2020 

Jongho shakes his head, sighing. “I did have an idea, but I didn’t know how it was going to work until now. I know someone who owes Hongjoong a few favours, and I think he could help us. I’ll send him a message to meet us in town tomorrow.” He pauses and considers the two of them, San leaning forwards eagerly and the not-demon blinking at him curiously, looking surprisingly childish. “You guys can come too. We’ll meet here tomorrow at noon.” 

San nods seriously and grips the hilt of his sword tightly, knuckles bone white. “I’ll do anything to rescue Seonghwa-hyung, so if you need me to do anything… just tell me. It’s my fault he’s stuck there.” 

If it was at any other time, Jongho would’ve laughed, but San says it with such intensity, his eyes as hard as the blade of his sword and his jaw clenched tight, that he all he says is, “It wasn’t anyone's fault, hyung. Don’t be so hard on yourself.” 

San looks troubled despite his words, but the not-demon smacks him on the back hard enough to cause the other boy to stumble in his place. It’s not something Seonghwa would’ve done to cheer him up, but it makes San laugh regardless, as carefree as the San before Seonghwa had gone. It makes him glad that the not-demon was here for a moment, even though he’d never admit it.

The way the setting sun settles on San’s face highlights the hardness in his eyes, as like steel as the blade of his sword, and Jongho turns away from him quickly, determined not to let the other boy see the look in his own eyes. He may be the youngest, but he’s the steadiest, the most grounded, the least likely to jump into trouble in the split of a second and get them all hurt or worse. He can’t be the first to break apart.

**Author's Note:**

> i just can't stop thinking of ateez i love them so much


End file.
